Approved: Lineside supermarket development receives planning consent

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Controversial plans to build a third major supermarket in the centre of Coalisland have been given the go-ahead.

Construction work has already begun after a majority of councillors rubber-stamped plans for the Lineside Newell Stores on Monday evening.

A newly erected sign on the site says the grocery superstore will be open for business in spring 2013.

It follows months of protracted negotiations between Rossdale Developments and the Department of the Environment (DOE) over the form of the proposals, which include constructing a new roundabout.

The development has also faced criticism from residents, planning consultants and even rival supermarket Springisland, with a total of 22 letters of objection being sent to the DOE.

Plans to replace the disused Lineside egg store with a supermarket were originally submitted in August 2010, but were withdrawn after homeowners in Mourne Crescent, directly behind the site, complained that demolition and clearing work had caused their gardens to collapse.

Coalisland’s canal committee also criticised the development over plans to construct a car park on top of the waterway.

Revised proposals were submitted in September last year, attracting several objections.

But the DOE sent the plans back to the design stage, saying they would be to the “detriment of the townscape if permitted”.

Rossdale Developments then purchased Lineside House, the offices of Clarman Architects, and several neighbouring properties to add further car parking facilities to its proposals.

Its plans were altered to include a larger roundabout and extended car-parking facilities snaking across the length of the canal.

The supermarket building design itself was also changed and pushed back to run along the bank next to Mourne Crescent, instead of standing on its own.

Clarman Architects came on board as the lead agents for the proposals, despite criticising previous proposals for creating a “serious hazard” in the town.

Springisland owner Peter Rice submitted his own objections to the plans. He accused the developers of submitting inaccurate information in a bid to push forward their supermarket bid.

>Have a look at all our reports on the Lineside supermarket development

>Supermarket planning application

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